NEED HELP JUST NEW TO THE GARDENING GAME

Hello,
We've just moved into this house after serving a long time in the forces. Don't know much about gardening, but willing to learn. The garden at the rear of the house is big with a patho and some decking and mostly grass which is in need of some TLC. I would like to put some flowering bushes and such like that would stand up to the kid playing and don't need a lot looking after. I also have a area at the back of the garden that has been lad with slabs I would like to make this area a place for the kids to learn about plants and stuff any advice and tips welcome

 

How lovely to encourage your children. You need to tell us a little more about your garden, is it sunny shadey, what kind of soil.

My berberis is flowering now and stands up to my horse heavy pruning it. Acuba - not many flowers but good evergreen colour. Potentilla if you have a bit of sun oh and budlea in sun. - just a few for starters.

 

Hello Waco,
Thanks for your reply.Sorry for not giving you all the info. Yes its sunny sloping type of soil don't know how do you identify. You will have to forgive my ignorance in this.
Thanks once again

 

You really need to know it it is acid or alkaline, but plants I have suggested won't really mind either.

As to children - well not that I have any but sunflowers are always fascinating and easy. Nothing like seeing something develop from a seed.

 

I'll take guess that most of Edinburgh is either volcanic or glacial boulder clay. Either way it's pretty fertile and would be neutral to acid. If any of your neighbours are growing rhododendron, camelias or azaleas with no problems then it's fairly indicative of at least slightly acid soil.

If so I would go for a couple of rhodes, and maybe an ornamental crab apple that not only has spring blossum but small colourfull fruit in the autumn.

For the children there are special packets of different seeds specially selected for kids that are almost foolproof and quick to germinate and flower. Later in the year you could also get them to plant some bulbs like snowdrop, cilla siberica, daffs and tulips which will give a bright sucession of flowers next spring. Don't forget a few primroses either!

[ 26. April 2006, 10:35 PM: Message edited by: frogesque ]

 

One of these would give a bit of early colour and is trouble free. Camelia.

Good luck

 

Hello TT

Used to live in Edinburgh (Lanark Road) and grew most of the plants which I do now in th 'Soft South'.

For children we used to plant Sunflowers and compete for highest but also things like apple pips and 'conkers' which root relatively easily.

Rock plants were always good value as well as shrubs like Photinia/Rhododendrons/Weigelia/others.

 

hans, that camelia is fantastic! Sadly up here, both last year and this year, there's hardly been a flower due to the late snow, frost and bitter winds in March and early April.

 

Hello To All,
Thanks for the help and advice, the kids are looking forward to getting dirty and growing things. Any more tip and advice would be more than welcome.
Cheers TT

 

Hello To All,
Thanks for the help and advice, the kids are looking forward to getting dirty and growing things. Any more tip and advice would be more than welcome.
Cheers TT

 

As frogesque says there are some seeds that you can sow stright into the soil - maybe helpful if they want to see progress sooner, and not go through the planting up/moving out stages?

Also, have you thought about a veg patch? They featured it on "Honey, We're Killing the Kids" last night on BBC3 with the idea that it teaches kids about healthy food, and where it comes from. They planted potatoes and carrots I think. There's an edible gardening section on here, which I'm sure would be able to help!

 

Agree with all the above - and would just add that I remember when I was a kid, I loved having my own patch, where I had livingstone daisies, californian poppies and something else that clearly didn't go down as well with me...... The great thing about the livingstone daisies was that they shut when the sun goes down..... and the californian poppies have little hoods. :D (From the kid point of view - those are good things!)

Anyway - having an area for the kids to enjoy themselves needn't be just veg, and not just sunflowers.

As Froggy says, there are loads of seeds packaged up specially for kids, and most of the garden centres sock them, as do places like BQ, Homebase, and the like. IF you're able to go on a Wednesday, there's 10% off at New Hopetoun Gardens, if you know where that is. http://www.newhopetoungardens.co.uk/

 

we purchased one of those small plastic green housed for my young son and choose a variety of flowers and veg to start off with.

sadly he lost interest and it was left to me!

how can we compete with playstations and football!

shaun
www.staffordspringgardenshow.co.uk

 

hi staffordshaun, I do advise you to secure the plastic greenhouse as I have just lost mine to the wind .(gone with the wind)it is now a mangle wreck. I have just ordered a glass greenhouse. it was very upsetting to see it .wrenched of its bolts and twirling in the garden. my son was in stitches yesterday I thought he was having a fit.the doors blasted out a few days ago and finisfed it off yesterday. never had any problems for two years.

 

ours blew over with just a mild breeze so I put a large paving slab on the bottom shelf! that did the trick

Shaun
www.staffordspringgardenshow.co.uk